SCAN working to keep neighbourhoods safe

By Steffanie Costigan - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on July 15, 2023.

Prior to the May provincial election, a Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit had been earmarked for Lethbridge.
So what is SCAN and what does it do?
SCAN begins an investigation when members of the community report suspicious activity taking place at a property. Information regarding the property will be collected, and SCAN will then issue a warning letter to the property owner. A SCAN communicator will mediate the ongoing dispute until there is either a resolution or an eviction put into effect.
If an eviction is put into effect, SCAN will then apply to the courts for a Community Safety Order, which will hold the property owner to meet a number of conditions and allow the property to be closed for up to 90 days.
SCAN will take necessary measures to ensure the property is safely and effectively closed.
The Alberta Government has published a summary of the SCAN Act.
“This act holds property owners accountable for regularly occurring activities on their property that threaten the safety of the community or neighbourhood. It also sets out the process for making a complaint to the Director of Law Enforcement as well as the Director’s role, responsibility, and authority in this regard.”
Some signs may suggest illegal activity is taking place on a property; however, seeing one suspicious sign does not always conclude illegal activity is definitely happening.
SCAN says its more common for a few signs taking place at the property to guarantee illegal activity exists on the property.
The common signs of illegal activity includes frequent visitors varying from all times of the day to night, frequent late night activity, extensive home surveillance, windows consistently blocked or covered, neglected property and yard, consistent visitors entering the property door for a short time and regular vehicles lingering near the property for a short time.
Strange odours coming from the household garbage can also be taken into account as another common sign.
Two of the last common signs of illegal activity on a property is garbage containing numerous containers, bottles, and particularly chemical containers, and frequent garbage being placed in a neighbour’s collection area.
Making a report of suspicious property activity to SCAN is simple by contacting SCAN toll-free at 1-866-960-7226 or you can make an online report by filling out a form at https://www.alberta.ca/report-suspicious-property.aspx
Once a report of suspicious property activity has been made, SCAN will keep information about the individual making the report safe and kept confidential.

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